A leading name in sofubi based in Hong Kong, Unbox Industries produces for artists and licenses from around the world. Its Hokuto no Ken Vintage Sofubi Series applies to the license the perspective of a foreign manufacturer steeped in Japanese sofubi culture, featuring four characters approximately 25 cm tall with a deliberately retro treatment, distributed in Japan through the Hakaba no Garou gallery in Nakano.
Details
Four faces of Hokuto, vintage style
The series lines up Kenshiro, Jagi, Toki and Raoh, priced between 10,450 and 11,000 yen (tax included) each, approximately 200 grams of hollow vinyl in a bag with a header card as is tradition in independent sofubi. The presence of Toki is worth highlighting, as the wisest of the Hokuto brothers is an absolute rarity in artisan sofubi. Alternative red colorways of Kenshiro and Jagi (10,780 yen), as well as a Kenshiro in another colorway, bringing the series to seven known references, followed in subsequent runs.
Finding them today
All references are sold out at Hakaba no Garou, their Japanese distribution channel, and are now sought after on Yahoo Auctions Japan and Mercari, as well as on the international designer sofubi market where Unbox Industries commands a strong reputation. Additional colorways or event-exclusive runs may have existed outside this circuit, as the Hong Kong studio’s production also goes through its own online drops.
